Shuttlecocks



Aug. 6, 1963 B. E. FAGAN ETAL SHUTTLECOCKS Filed Nov. 7, 1960 UnitedStates Patent 3,100,116 SHUTTLECOCKS Brian Edward Fagan, Sandwich, andCecil Cuthbert, Ramsgate, England, assignors to Nash Plastics Limited,Sandwich, Kent, England, a company of England Filed Nov. 7, 1960, Ser.No. 67,745 Claims priority, application Great Britain Nov. 13, 1959 6Claims. (Cl. 273-106) This invention relates to shuttlecocks made ofplastic material.

Although the advent of the plastic shuttlecock, by reason of itscomparatively low cost, has led to a spread in the popularity of thegame, even the best designed shuttlecock Where the skirt is made ofstems radiating from a starting collar at the narrow end of the skirtand joined to one another by ribs, has failed to replace the featheredshuttlecock and manufacturers are still seeking to improve the flightcharacteristics.

The usual so called plastic shuttlecock is made up from a Skirt and acap. the skirt consisting of a one-piece moulding of plastic materialand being joined to the cap, which, as in the case of a featheredshuttlecock, may consist of a skin covered cork shell.

We have now found that by incorporating a rotor member at the narrow endof the skirt, an improved shuttlecock results.

According to this invention a shuttlecock comprises a skirt, a cap and,between the cap and skirt, rotation producing means including bladeswhich are arranged internally of the skirt and, when the shuttlecock isin flight, assist in imparting spin, due to the action of air flow inpassage across their surfaces and into the interior space of the skirt.

According to a further feature of this invention a shuttlecock skirt foruse in the construction of a shuttlecock comprises a truncated latticestructure formed of plastic material and having at its narrow end anumber of blades giving a rotor effect, the blades preferably being atan angle to the true radius. In operation, air flows between the bladesand into the centre of the skirt causing the shuttlecock to rotate inflight at a speed controlled by the angular set of the blades to theaxis of the shuttlecock.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of a shuttlecock device constructed inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section on the line III-III of FIGURE 1.

Referring first to FIG. 1 of the drawings the shuttlecock of thisinvention comprises a skirt S, a cap A and between the cap A and theskirt S is a truncated conical section or part R. C indicates an outersleeve or collar by which the skirt is united to the cap A.

The part R consists of a number of blades 1, each springing from acentral sleeve or spigot 2, the spigot 2 (being grown from a startingflange or base 3. Integral with the flange 3 is a collar 4, by which theskirt as a Whole is attached to the cap proper A (FIG. 1) in accordancewith standard practice.

It will be seen that the blades extend outwards in the direction towardsthe skirt so as to conform to the 3,1 00,1 16 Patented Aug. 6', 1963 Theskirt formation in the embodiment illustrated is in accordance withUnited States Patent No. 2,815,956 and comprises main stems helicallydisposed in one direction and secondary stems or ribs inter-connectingthe main stems 7. The main stems 7 are formed in relief on the outersurface of the skirt with the object of imparting spin to theshuttlecock in flight similar to the flight feathers of a featheredshuttlecock. In addition the blades 1 operate to produce rotation of theshuttlecock and are disposed at an angle which is offset to the trueradius to impart spin about the axis, since when the shuttlecock is inflight air has a free passage or flow through the openings betweenadjacent blades 1 into the interior of the skirt. The relative movementbetween each air stream and the blades 1 exerts a thrust on the severalblades, which due to their angularity has a rotational component.

The shuttlecock may be made by known injection methods using a suitablemould and it will be seen that the plastic flows from the central sprueof the starting flange 3 along the spigot 2 and thence into the branchlimbs of the mould to produce the rotor blades 7 and ring 6. The stems 7are grown from the ring 6 and although in the embodiment illustrated thestems coincide with the blades 1 this is not essential. It follows thatthe number of blades may be reduced and may consist of any number fromthree upwards.

The skirt of this invention can be made up into a shuttlecock using acap A (FIG. 1) of plastic material wherein the striking surface consistsof a number of concentric cylinders of different length or using astandard skin covered cork cap A (FIG. 3).

What is claimed is:

l. A shuttlecock comprising a skirt which is formed of plastic material,a cap, and rotation producing means between the cap and the skirt,including blades arranged only internally of the outer surface of therotation pro ducing means, said blades extending axially of theshuttlelcodk and being offset to the true radius thereof and exposed toair passing thereover when the shuttlecock is in flight to impartrotation to the shuttlecock.

2. A shuttlecock comprising a skirt which is normed of plastic material,a cap, and rotation producing means between the cap and the skirt, saidmeans comprising a flange adapted to be connected to the cap and acentral sleeve member projecting therefrom and a plurality of bladesoffset from the true radius of the sleeve and having their inner endsconnected to the sleeve, the forward portion connected to the flange andthe rear outer portions of the blades connected by a band to which saidskirt is connected, said blades being arranged wholly internally of theouter surface of the rotation producing means and skirt and, when theshuttlecock is in flight, imparting spin thereto.

3. A shuttlecock skirt comprising a truncated conical lattice structureformed of plastic material and having at its narrow end conical rotationproducing means consisting of a number of blades disposed onlyinternally of the outer conical surface of the rotation producing meansand at an angle to the radius of the skirt to imgpart rotation theretowhen the shuttlecock is in flight.

4. A shuttlecock skirt as claimed in claim 3 in which there is a leapportion at the narrow end comprising a collar formed on one end with aflange, the flange having a central spigot from which the blades extendoutwardly, the blades being joined to one another by an annular band,said skirt having a plurality of main stems and ribs therein extendingfrom said band.

5. The invention as defiined in claim 4 in which the main stems spiralin one direction.

6. A shuttleooek comprising a skirt which is termed or plastic material,a cap, and rotation producing means 15 1,076,538

4 between the cap and skirt, said means including a truncated conicalsection integral with the skirt and having non-radial blades extendingonly inwardly from the outer surface of the conical section, the bladesdefining slits for the passage of air when the shuttleeoek is in flightto impart spin thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 102,163,236 Collier June 20, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 550,822 Belgium Sept.29, 1956 216,536 Australia July 17, 1958 Germany Feb. 25, 1960

1. A SHUTTLECOCK COMPRISING A SKIRT WHICH IS FORMED OF PLASTIC MATERIAL,A CAP, AND ROTATION PRODUCING MEANS BETWEEN THE CAP AND THE SKIRT,INCLUDING BLADES ARRANGED ONLY INTERNALLY OF THE OUTER SURFACE OF THEROTATION PRODUCING MEANS, SAID BLADES EXTENDING AXIALLY OF THESHUTTLECOCK AND BEING OFFSET TO THE TRUE RADIUS THEREOF AND EXPOSED TOAIR PASSING THEREOVER WHEN THE SHUTTLECOCK IS IN FLIGHT TO IMPARTROTATION TO THE SHUTTLECOCK.